In "soft" sciences like sociology, it's much more difficult to detect
manipulation of research, than in "hard" sciences like physics. Soft
science researchers who strive for objectivity deserve an extra
measure of respect. Sadly, far too many researchers are more
concerned with pushing an agenda than with objectivity. These same
problems are not unknown in the world of journalism.
Since the soft sciences and the media have a powerful influence on
social policies in this country, this affects every family and every individual.

is about the broken "science" that's being used
to create law and drive social policy.

Featured Articles

A clear and concise explanation of the dishonest techniques used by many researchers to mislead the public into thinking that the majority of domestic violence involves violent men and victimized women.

A clear and concise explanation of the dishonest techniques used by many researchers to mislead the public into thinking that the majority of domestic violence involves violent men and victimized women.

A study of 18,761 heterosexual relationships, done by
researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control,
has found that women perpetrate 70% of non-reciprocal
violence. Only 30% of non-reciprocal violence was
perpetrated by men. And non-reciprocal violence
accounted for only half of all cases. Overall, the
cases resulted in a significant number of injuries to
men as well as to women.

In 1971, Erin Pizzey founded the world's first
battered women's shelter in Chiswick, England. In
this memoir of her 1977 tour of the United States,
Erin recounts how her efforts were misused by Gloria
Steinem, Lenore Walker, and others, in furtherance of
their political agenda.

The Gender Bias Committee report created the widely quoted factoid
that fathers are granted sole or joint physical custody 70% of the
time when they request it. It turns out that the very same data shows
that the rate at which primary physical custody was granted to mothers
is higher than the rate for fathers. Learn how they fiddled with the
numbers to make it sound like courts are biased against mothers.

In 2002 I had the opportunity to address an audience
of social workers and law enforcement officials at the
annual Domestic Violence Conference at York College
(C.U.N.Y.). Drawing lessons from my own childhood, I
warned them of the immense harm they unknowingly cause
to children when they apply rote cookie-cutter solutions
instead of putting in the effort to get it right.

The Gender Bias Committee report created the widely quoted factoid
that fathers are granted sole or joint physical custody 70% of the
time when they request it. It turns out that the very same data shows
that the rate at which primary physical custody was granted to mothers
is higher than the rate for fathers. Learn how they fiddled with the
numbers to make it sound like courts are biased against mothers.

Domestic Violence

A clear and concise explanation of the dishonest techniques used by many researchers to mislead the public into thinking that the majority of domestic violence involves violent men and victimized women.

A clear and concise explanation of the dishonest techniques used by many researchers to mislead the public into thinking that the majority of domestic violence involves violent men and victimized women.

A study of 18,761 heterosexual relationships, done by
researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control,
has found that women perpetrate 70% of non-reciprocal
violence. Only 30% of non-reciprocal violence was
perpetrated by men. And non-reciprocal violence
accounted for only half of all cases. Overall, the
cases resulted in a significant number of injuries to
men as well as to women.

In 1971, Erin Pizzey founded the world's first
battered women's shelter in Chiswick, England. In
this memoir of her 1977 tour of the United States,
Erin recounts how her efforts were misused by Gloria
Steinem, Lenore Walker, and others, in furtherance of
their political agenda.

The National Violence Against Women Survey found 1.3
million women and 835,000 men are physically
assaulted by their partners each year. But the policy
implications section of the report treats the 835,000
men as the elephant in the room that everybody's
politely trying not to notice.

The bill designates the approximately 16,304 Native
American women abused annually as an "underserved
population," but turns a blind eye to the 835,000 men
abused annually for whom there is virtually no help
available.

In 2002 I had the opportunity to address an audience
of social workers and law enforcement officials at the
annual Domestic Violence Conference at York College
(C.U.N.Y.). Drawing lessons from my own childhood, I
warned them of the immense harm they unknowingly cause
to children when they apply rote cookie-cutter solutions
instead of putting in the effort to get it right.

The CPB Ombudsman has written a second piece,
reporting and commenting on communications from those
involved with Breaking the Silence. His
assessment of the statement from Tatge/Lasseur
Productions is that it “amounts to a plea of guilty to
violating the fairness and balance standards of PBS”.

The “Breaking the Silence” Viewer's Guide cites
research by Straus and others to imply that it is only
or predominantly violent men who physically abuse
children. Straus responds that “the focus on just men
in the quote is contradicted by the evidence“

Due to controversy over Breaking the Silence,
PBS' new ombudsman, Michael Getler, wrote his first
column three weeks before his job was supposed to have
started. In Getler's article, BTS producer Lasseur
responds to the discovery that he had excluded
interviewees whose stories might have called the
film's premise into question by denigrating them
as “fathers who had a destructive political
agenda”. Getler says he “thought this
particular program had almost no balance“.

CPB Ombudsman Dr. Ken A. Bode (read his credentials here) writes:
“The producers apparently do not subscribe to the idea that an argument can be made more convincing by giving the other side a fair presentation ...
this broadcast is so slanted as to raise suspicions that either the family courts of America have gone crazy or there must be another side to the story ...
Along with the motives of its sponsor (The Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation), Breaking the Silence needs to be reviewed for accuracy, fairness and balance.”

Recent information has come to light that ABC's Prime Time Live is working on a piece on domestic violence that may distort the issue in much the same way as PBS' recently aired “Breaking the Silence: Children's Stories”.

As of November 2007, N.H. Gov. John Lynch's
appointments to the Commission on the Status of Men
were people who displayed no commitment to carrying
out the duties of the commission as spelled out in its
enabling legislation. Furthermore, Gov. Lynch had
solicited applications from these individuals rather
than appoint any of the highly qualified individuals
who had already submitted applications.

In November 2007, this letter signed by professionals
from all over the U.S. was sent to the governor and to
members of N.H.'s Executive Council in the hope of
encouraging the appointment of commissioners who would
demonstrate committment to carrying out the
commission's duties.

In spite of this, a full year has passed, and
Gov. Lynch has allowed a commissioner who has
demonstrated hostility to the commission's mission to
continue to sit on the commission even though his
appointment expired more than a year ago.

Since the 1970s, nearly every state in the U.S. has
established a Commission on the Status of Women. But
not until 2002 did any state establish an analogous
commission to investigate the unique problems that
negatively impact men and boys in U.S. society. The
2002 N.H. legislation that created the commission
contained a "sunset" clause. The commission will
cease to exist in the summer of 2007 if not
re-authorized. Because the commission is the only one
of its kind, professionals in a variety of fields all
across the country have signed a resolution to
encourage the N.H. Legislature to make the Commission
on the Status of Men a permanent body.